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Spence Farm

Fairbury, IL.

All photos © Kris Travis 2009

What’s been happening on the farm?

Everyone is always curious as to what we do during the winter months. Well...we used to think that winter was a time for taking a few weeks off to just relax and catch up, but that has changed in the last few years. Now we find it hard to even get a couple of days around the holidays to relax. There is ALWAYS something to do and it is usually something different each day. It keeps life exciting, that’s for sure.

Every winter has some of the same chores for us, such as feeding animals and keeping them dry and warm. We heat our large farmhouse entirely with wood so we are always taking a day here and there to cut and haul firewood. And, there are the inside house repairs that don’t get done when we are outside during the growing season.

And, then there is the seed cleaning...ah...I love that! Not kidding! I really enjoy sitting around in front of a fire in the fireplace and shelling beans, taking flower seed off the heads, and shelling corn. I like to see all the seeds in their little bags or jars all lined up. There is such a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They look like beads or jewels. And, I suppose to us they are more valuable than jewels. Each seed has the power, the potential, to become one plant that can produce food, beauty and more seeds. I like to sift them through my hands and feel their energy just waiting to burst out!

I’m not the greatest gardener, as some of you may know. I usually have a garden just chock full of some of the most productive and interesting plants in the world. Unfortunately they are usually weeds of all sorts. I haven’t quite got the knack of the garden thing. But I keep trying.

On the other hand, I am extremely fortunate to be married to a wonderful gardener (Marty) who finds it a challenge to grow gardens into a farm. So, in the winter we also do a lot of planning. We sift through 20 plus seed catalogs dreaming of what we would like to grow and trying to keep our finances in check when we write up the orders.

We also try to plan where everything is going to be located on the farm, rotating crops to keep insects and disease at bay, and finding new areas to convert or reclaim. We plan to expand our fruits and berries, our wild harvested areas, our grains, and our favorites (like shell beans and unusual veggies).

Food farming is always a challenge, and we are thankful to our Grandma Hazel and mom Willa for keeping this farm in the family so we could farm here. We are also very thankful for all our good customers and friends who buy our products and keep our farm alive. We are truly blessed!

Jewels of the Land!

(three of the many kinds of potatoes we grow...Purple Majesty, German Butterball, and Rio Colorado

Waiting patiently for green hay!